International Journal of Avian & Wildlife Biology Review Article Open Access Conservation of the west African black-crowned crane balearica pavonina pavonina (linn 1758) in the sudano-sahelian wetlands of northern Nigeria Abstract Volume 3 Issue 1 - 2018 With so much crises and mystification surrounding the management of Nigeria’s Edet DI,1 Akinyemi AF,2 Edet AI,3 Egwumah wildlife as a result of anthropogenic impacts occasioned by poaching, bush burning, 4 grazing and unsustainable farming practices coupled with desert encroachment and FA 1Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria lack of unified wildlife law, it would not be a shocking revelation that the most 2University of Ibadan, Nigeria revered bird in Nigeria, the West African black-crowned crane is on the verge of local 3Cross River University of Technology, Nigeria extinction. This paper is a review on the black-crowned crane with emphasis on present 4University of Agriculture Makurdi, Nigeria conservation status and habitat requirements of the species as well as facilities that can be used for the domestication of the bird. Understanding the species fundamental Correspondence: Daniel Ibiang Edet, Department of Forestry niche and the threats to its survival are essential aspects for the future conservation of & Wildlife Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, the species. This review will awaken the consciousness of conservationists and other Imo State, Nigeria, Email [email protected] environmentalists on the conservation of the black-crowned crane, the national bird of Nigeria. The conservation of the species will further promote and increase ecotourism Received: November 14, 2017 | Published: January 11, 2018 potentials of wetlands in the Sudano-Sahelian landscape of Northern Nigeria. Keywords: wetlands, sahelian, black crowned crane, conservation, extinction Introduction eagle on the national coat-of-arms is merely symbolic. The founding fathers of Nigeria deliberately placed the eagle on the coat-of-arms to The Black Crowned Crane Balearica pavonina is a resident of the epitomize the might of the country in the African continent. Stopfords7 Sahel and Sudan Savanna regions of Africa, ranging from the Senegal highlights that the black-crowned cranes which were seen in flocks of Basin and Guinea-Bissau Drainage in West Africa to the Western 200 or more some years ago in the wild are hardly seen even by hard Ethiopian Highlands and South-West Rift Valley in East Africa. searching field ornithologists these days. The reason for the crane’s There are two black crowned-crane subspecies. The West African fast declining population is not far-fetched. The bird inhabits one Crowned Crane, Balearica pavonina pavonina occupies the western of the most important of the world’s most viable environment, the part of this range, from Senegal to Chad. The Sudan Crowned Crane, wetlands including the Sudano-sahelian wetlands of Northern Nigeria. Balearica pavonina ceciliae occurs in Eastern Africa, with its largest These wetlands are needed for livestock production, fishing, fadama 1 2 concentration in Sudan. Birdlife International classifies the species farming as well as large scale irrigation projects,8 and anthropogenic as near threatened. Population estimates are 15,000 for Balearica impacts arising from such activities may be responsible for such 3 pavonina pavonina and 43,000-55,000 for Balearica pavonina declining crane population. Of the African cranes, the West African 4 ceciliae. Due to the rapid decrease of populations in certain areas black-crowned crane is the most in need of detailed field studies. and a lack of knowledge about status in other areas, the International This reflects not only its rapid decline and threatened status in the Crane Foundation (ICF) and Wetlands International launched the western portion of its range, but also the limited extent of previous Black Crowned Crane Programme in 1999 in order to determine research. Johnsgard9 summarized available information on the two the species’ conservation status and to prepare an action plan for its subspecies (treating them together with the two Grey Crowned Crane conservation. subspecies). No range-wide surveys of the population and very few Cranes symbolize PEACE. It is by no accident that our founding ecological studies of the species and its habitats have been carried out fathers selected the crane as Nigeria’s National Bird. According to in Nigeria. Therefore, the present study focuses on the conservation Ero and Stopfords,5 of the world’s fifteen species of cranes, only the of the Nigeria National Bird, the West African black-crowned crane 10 black-crowned crane (Balearica pavonina) is found in Nigeria and (Balearica pavonina pavonina), which according to IUCN is also among the most beautiful birds in the world. Yet not only is the vulnerable. The paper also highlights some domestication and habitat general public ignorant of this unique genetic resource in our midst, manipulation techniques as well as conditions that will favour the but the public is also totally unaware that the crane is our national breeding of cranes in the wild. bird and not the eagle. Many sovereign states have cranes as their Scientific classification and conservation status national birds; the Ugandans have the grey-crowned crane as their national bird, the South Africans have the blue crane as their national Common name: West African black-crowned crane. bird, the Japanese have the red-crowned Crane as their national bird Scientific name:Balearica pavonina pavonina (Linn 1758). and the Nigerians have the Black-crowned Crane as theirs.6 Unlike the Nigeria National Flower (Custus spectabilis) which adorns the Phylum: Chordata. foot of the national coat-of-arms, the black-crowned Crane is not shown on the coat-of-arms. Instead, it is an eagle. The presence of an Class: Aves. Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com Int J Avian & Wildlife Biol. 2018;3(1):15‒19. 15 © 2018 Edet et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially. Copyright: Conservation of the west African black-crowned crane balearica pavonina pavonina (linn 1758) in the 16 sudano-sahelian wetlands of northern Nigeria ©2018 Edet et al. Order: Griuformes. At a distance cranes appear as long-legged blackish birds with much white on the wings. At close range the conspicuous straw- Family: Gruidae. coloured bristly crest, black crown, and bare pink and white cheeks Sub-family: Balearicinae. readily identify the bird. In flight the neck and legs are held at an angle to the body. The white wings are conspicuous. Loud cry and nuptial 10 IUCN status: Vulnerable; dance also identify the bird.17 According to Stopfords,7 to the layman, CITES status: Endangered.11 at first glance, the large long-legged and long-necked cranes bear a degree of similarity to stocks and herons. Yet, cranes are not related 12 Special status: Nigeria National Bird. to stocks and herons; there are considerable differences between the The black crowned crane as earlier stated is the National Bird of two regarding physical structure, vocalization, molting, reproductive Nigeria, a status that can be reckoned with, though in some parts of cycle and many other characteristics. The body length of the adult 16 Northern Nigeria, it is a taboo to associate with it. Opinions vary from bird ranges from 100cm to 105cm, and weighs between 3 and 4kg. one locality to another. Some people strongly believe that capturing The plumage (feathers) is grey, brown or white. The head of the adult and eating crane will likely lead to insanity. In other parts of the world, bird generally has bristle-cover and usually red-skinned spots, or 18 cranes are a sign of good luck and are thus accorded protection in even lacks feather altogether. The wings are long (usually between 180 in areas where they are taboo. The black crowned-crane is listed on and 200cm) and form a large air-fold. In flight, cranes strain the neck Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered and head forward in contrast to herons that fly with their necks in an Species (CITES), which means that any trade in this species should s-shape. The tail is short and slightly rounded. The beak is straight, be carefully regulated.11 Black crowned-cranes are legally protected short and sturdy. in most countries where they occur, although this protection is often ineffective.13 In Nigeria, their habitats are protected within National Distribution Parks, such as Kainji Lake, Chad-Basin, Gashaka-Gumti and Kamuku Cranes inhabit all parts of the world with the exception of South National Parks as well as other game reserves. America, the Malayan Islands, Polynesia, New Zealand and the Antartic.6 Cranes have been raised in the northern tropics of West Description of the species Africa. The grey subspecies group, the Southern Crown Crane The beautiful stately black crowned-crane Balearica pavonina (Balearica pavonina regulorum) and the Eastern Crown Crane (Figure1), gets its name from its dark slaty-grey to black plumage,14 (Balearica pavonina gibberifrons) have been raised successfully in and the crown of stiff, golden feathers atop the head.15 Distinctive South and South-East Africa respectively. In Nigeria, cranes are found white feathers are at the leading edge of the wing and a small pouch in Kano, Niger, Borno and Jigawa States. These states constitute part of red skin